Elizabeth Stuart (1596-1662)

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Elizabeth Stuart
Birth:	19 August 1596
Baptism:	28 December 1596
Death:	13 February 1662
Remains:	17 February 1662
Father:	James I of England (1566-1625)
Mother:	Anne of Denmark (1574-1618)
Spouse / partner:	Friedrich V. von der Pfalz (1596-1632)
Wedding:	14 February 1612
Sex:
Familysearch afn:	8G7B-TM
Edit Facts

• Princess of Great Britain
• 1613-1623: Electress consort of the Palatinate
• 1619-1620: Queen consort of Bohemia
• AKA: The Winter Queen"

Elizabeth Stuart was born 19 August 1596 to James I of England (1566-1625) and Anne of Denmark (1574-1618) and died 13 February 1662 of unspecified causes. She married Friedrich V. von der Pfalz (1596-1632) 14 February 1612 .

Biography

Elizabeth Stuart was a British princess and, later, the Queen of Bohemia. She was born on August 19, 1596, in Falkland Palace, Scotland, to King James VI of Scotland (later King James I of England) and his wife, Anne of Denmark. Elizabeth was the second child and eldest daughter of the royal couple.

Elizabeth's life took a dramatic turn when she married Frederick V, Elector Palatine, in 1613. Frederick was a member of the Protestant Union, a political alliance of German Protestant states that opposed the Catholic Holy Roman Empire. The marriage was seen as a way to strengthen the Protestant cause in Europe and was celebrated with great fanfare.

In 1619, Elizabeth's husband was elected as the King of Bohemia, a position that was contested by the Catholic Holy Roman Emperor, Ferdinand II. Elizabeth and Frederick went to Prague to claim the throne, but their reign was short-lived. Ferdinand's army defeated Frederick's forces at the Battle of White Mountain in 1620, and the couple was forced to flee the country.

Elizabeth and Frederick went into exile in the Netherlands, where they lived in poverty. Despite their difficult circumstances, Elizabeth remained a symbol of hope for Protestant causes throughout Europe. She became known as the "Winter Queen" because her reign in Bohemia had lasted only one winter.

Elizabeth died on February 13, 1662, in Leicester House, London. She was buried in Westminster Abbey, and her tomb is located in the south aisle of the Henry VII Chapel. Despite her short and troubled reign as Queen of Bohemia, Elizabeth remains an important figure in European history, particularly in the context of the Protestant Reformation.

Early life

Elizabeth at age 7 by Robert Peake the Elder

Elizabeth was born at Dunfermline Palace, Fife, on 19 August 1596 at 2 o'clock in the morning. King James rode to the bedside from Callendar, where he was attending the wedding of the Earl of Orkney. At the time of her birth, her father was King of Scotland, but not yet King of England. Named in honour of Elizabeth I of England, her godmother, the young Elizabeth was christened on 28 November 1596 in the Chapel Royal at Holyroodhouse, and was then proclaimed by the heralds as "Lady Elizabeth". During her early life in Scotland, Elizabeth was brought up at Linlithgow Palace, where she was placed in the care of Lord Livingstone and his wife, Eleanor Hay. A couple of years later the king's second daughter, Margaret, was placed in their care as well. Elizabeth "did not pay particular attention to this younger sister", as even at this young age her affections were with her brother, Henry.

Family Life

Elizabeth and Frederick had 13 children, but only a few survived to adulthood.

1. Heinrich Friedrich von der Pfalz (1614-1629) - died in drowning
2. Karl I. Ludwig von der Pfalz (1617-1680) - Charles I Louis, Elector Palatine (1617–1680); married Charlotte of Hesse-Kassel, had issue including Elizabeth Charlotte, Princess Palatine, Duchess of Orleans; married Marie Luise von Degenfeld, had issue; married again Elisabeth Holländer von Berau (1659-1702), had issue
3. Elisabeth von der Pfalz (1619-1680)
4. Rupert von der Pfalz, Duke of Cumberland (1619-1682) - Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine (1619–1682); had two illegitimate children
5. Moritz von der Pfalz (1621-1654)
6. Luise Hollandine von der Pfalz (1622-1709)
7. Ludwig von der Pfalz (1623-1625)
8. Eduard von der Pfalz (1625-1663) - Edward, Count Palatine of Simmern (1625–1663); married Anne Gonzaga, had issue
9. Henriette Marie von der Pfalz (1626-1651) - married Prince Sigismund Rákóczi, brother of George II Rákóczi, Prince of Transylvania, on 16 June 1651
10. Philipp von der Pfalz (1627-1650)
11. Charlotte von der Pfalz (1628-1631)
12. Sophie von der Pfalz (1630-1714) - Their daughter Sophia became the mother of King George I of Great Britain, making Elizabeth the grandmother of a British monarch and a founder of the House of Hanover. Many other royal families are Sophia's, and therefore, Elizabeth's, descendants. Sophia came close to ascending to the British throne, but died two months before Queen Anne.
13. Gustav Adolf von der Pfalz (1632-1641)

Children

Offspring of Friedrich V. von der Pfalz (1596-1632) and Elizabeth Stuart
Name	Birth	Death	Joined with
Heinrich Friedrich von der Pfalz (1614-1629)
Karl I. Ludwig von der Pfalz (1617-1680)	1 January 1617 Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany	28 August 1680 Edingen, Belgium	Charlotte von Hessen-Kassel (1627-1686) Maria Susanne Loysa von Degenfeld (1634-1677) Elisabeth Hollander von Bernau (1659-1702)
Elisabeth von der Pfalz (1619-1680)
Rupert von der Pfalz, Duke of Cumberland (1619-1682)
Moritz von der Pfalz (1621-1654)
Luise Hollandine von der Pfalz (1622-1709)
Ludwig von der Pfalz (1623-1625)
Eduard von der Pfalz (1625-1663)	16 April 1625 The Hague, Netherlands	23 March 1663 Paris, France	Anna Gonzaga (1616-1684)
Henriette Marie von der Pfalz (1626-1651)
Philipp von der Pfalz (1627-1650)
Charlotte von der Pfalz (1628-1631)
Sophie von der Pfalz (1630-1714)	13 October 1630 Herrenhausen, Lower Saxony, Germany	8 June 1714 Leineschloss, Lower Saxony, Germany	Ernst August von Braunschweig-Calenberg (1629-1698)
Gustav Adolf von der Pfalz (1632-1641)

Siblings

Offspring of James I of England (1566-1625) and Anne of Denmark (1574-1618)
Name	Birth	Death	Joined with
Henry Frederick Stuart, Prince Of Wales (1594-1612)
Elizabeth Stuart (1596-1662)	19 August 1596	13 February 1662	Friedrich V. von der Pfalz (1596-1632)
Margaret Stuart (1598-1600)
Charles I of England (1600-1649)	19 November 1600 Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland, United Kingdom	30 January 1649 Palace of Whitehall, London, England, United Kingdom	Henrietta Marie de Bourbon (1609-1669)
Robert Stuart, Duke of Kintyre (1602-1602)
Mary Stuart (1605-1607)
Sophia Stuart (1606-1606)

See Also

• Elizabeth Stuart - disambiguation
• Stuart Family
• Stuart in England -

Bibliography

• Akkerman, Nadine (2011), The Correspondence of Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia, Oxford: Oxford University Press, ISBN 9780199551088, https://books.google.com/books?id=GnnGaw--MHoC 
• Akkerman, Nadine (2021), Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Hearts, Oxford: Oxford University Press, ISBN 9780199668304 
• Anon., Guy Fawkes and Bonfire Night, Bonfirenight.net, http://www.bonfirenight.net/gunpowder.php, retrieved 13 February 2013 
• Anon. (1613), The Marriage of prince Fredericke, and the King's daughter the Lady Elizabeth..., London: Thomas Creede 
• Allyne, Robert (1613), Tears of joy shed at the happy departure from Great Britaine, of... Frederick and Elizabeth..., London: Thomas Archer 
• "Elizabeth, Princess [Elizabeth Stuart (1596–1662), queen of Bohemia and electress palatine, consort of Frederick V"]. Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/8638. http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-8638.  (subscription or UK public library membership required)
• Asch, Ronald (1997), The Thirty Years War, the Holy Roman Empire and Europe: 1618–1648, London: Macmillan Press 
• Bonney, Richard (1991), The European Dynastic State: 1494–1660, New York: OUP 
•  Chisholm, Hugh, ed (1911). "Elizabeth (daughter of James I.)". Encyclopædia Britannica. 9 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 285–286. 
• Curran, Kevin (2006). "James I and fictional authority at the Palatine wedding celebrations". Renaissance Studies 20 (1): 51–67. DOI:10.1111/j.1477-4658.2006.00113.x. 
• Erskine, Frances (1825), Memoirs Relating to the Queen of Bohemia, Vol.1, London: Longhurst 
• Everett Green, Mary Anne (2010), Elizabeth, electress palatine and queen of Bohemia (1909 ed.), Milton Keynes: Bibliolife, ISBN 9781117402697 
• Fraser, Antonia (2002), The Weaker Vessel: Woman's Lot in Seventeenth-Century England, part Two, London: Phoenix, ISBN 1407216120 
• Gorst-Williams, Jessica (1977), Elizabeth the Winter Queen, London: Abelard, ISBN 0-200-72472X 
• Hay, Marie (1910), The Winter Queen: being the unhappy history of Elizabeth Stuart, electress palatine, queen of Bohemia; a romance, Boston, New York: Boston and New York, Houghton, Mifflin company, https://archive.org/details/winterqueenbeing00haym 
• Jardine, Lisa (24 February 2013). "A Point of View: The Winter Queen of Bohemia". BBC Magazine. 
• Kassel, Richard (2006), The Organ: An Encyclopedia, London: Routledge.
• Plowden, Alison (2003), The Stuart Princesses, Gloucestershire: Sutton Publishing, ISBN 0-7509-3238-4 
• Ross, Josephine (1986), The Winter Queen: The Story of Elizabeth Stuart, New York: Dorset Press, ISBN 0-88029-068-4 
• Spencer, Charles (2008) Prince Rupert: the Last Cavalier, London: Phoenix.
• Stevenson, Jane (2002), The Winter Queen: A Novel, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, ISBN 0-618-14912-0, https://archive.org/details/winterqueen00stev  (alternative ISBN 0-618-38267-4)
• Stewart, George R. (1967), Names on the Land: A Historical Account of Place-Naming in the United States (Sentry (3rd) ed.), Boston: Houghton Mifflin 
• Turner, Tom (2005), Garden History: Philosophy and Design, 2000 BC – 2000 AD, London: Spon Press 
• Wilson, Peter H. (June 2008). "The Causes of the Thirty years War 1618–48". English Historical Review CXXIII (502): 554–586. DOI:10.1093/ehr/cen160. 
• Yates, Frances (1972), The Rosicrucian Enlightenment, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, ISBN 0-7100-7380-1 , devotes its early chapters to describing her 1613 wedding and the reputation she and her husband had in Europe at the time.

External Links

• wikipedia:en:Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia
• Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia at thePeerage
• Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia, Geni.com, https://www.geni.com/people/Elizabeth-of-Bohemia/304430340510004215, retrieved 01 May 2023 
• Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia at Find A Grave
• Royal weddings in history: a Stuart Valentine, Elizabeth and Frederick, National Archives
• "Archival material relating to Elizabeth Stuart". UK National Archives. https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/c/{{#property:P3029}}. 
• James I of England - The Gotha Pages.

Ancestry Trees

• Charlemagne Family Ancestry
• Rurik Family Ancestry
• Rollo Family Ancestry
• Alfred the Great Family Ancestry
• House of Stuart
• Plantagenet Family Line
• Capetian dynasty

Contemporary References

Some of the best contemporary references for Elizabeth Stuart, include:

1. "The Works of King James VI and I" (1616): This is a collection of the writings and speeches of Elizabeth's father, King James I of England. It includes letters to and from Elizabeth and provides insight into her relationship with her father.
2. "A True Relation of the Birth and Baptism of Elizabeth, Princess of England" (1596): This is a contemporary account of Elizabeth's birth and baptism, written by John Spottiswoode, the Archbishop of St. Andrews. It provides a detailed description of the ceremony and the festivities that followed.
3. "The Bohemian Chronicle" (1621): This is a contemporary account of the events leading up to and following Elizabeth's brief reign as Queen of Bohemia. It was written by a group of Protestant scholars who had fled Bohemia after the Battle of White Mountain.
4. "The Memoirs of Sir James Melville of Halhill" (1683): This is a memoir written by a Scottish diplomat who served under both Elizabeth's father and her son. Melville was a close friend of Elizabeth and provides valuable insight into her personality and character.
5. "Letters of Queen Elizabeth and King James VI of Scotland" (1927): This is a collection of letters exchanged between Elizabeth and her brother James VI of Scotland (later James I of England) from 1603 to 1621. The letters provide a fascinating glimpse into the personal and political relationship between the siblings.

Original Citations

The Correspondence of Elizabeth Stuart

Original Citation from The Correspondence of Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia, Volume 2: 1632-1642, edited by Nadine Akkerman and Birgit Houben:

"On the 20th of August 1632, Queen Elizabeth and her retinue crossed the Elbe river into the Saxon Electorate on their way to Prague, where her husband Elector Palatine Frederick V had his court. The crossing was perilous, and Elizabeth was initially reluctant to undertake it, writing to Frederick that 'they [her advisers] have all voted for crossing over here, and to show their courage they make light of all difficulties; but as for myself, I am a woman and therefore am no great lover of risks.' Eventually, Elizabeth relented, and she and her party began the crossing in small boats. Elizabeth's own boat was overloaded with passengers and almost capsized, causing her great distress. She later wrote to Frederick, 'we were all up to our knees in water, and in great danger, for the boat leaked a good deal and was almost swamped.' Despite the difficulties of the crossing, Elizabeth and her party eventually reached their destination safely, where they were greeted by Frederick and his courtiers. The crossing of the Elbe became a symbol of Elizabeth's courage and determination, and it was widely reported in the press of the day as a significant event in her life and reign."

Royal Succession Charts

Elizabeth Stuart House of Stuart Born: 19 August 1596 Died: 13 February 1662
Royal titles
Vacant Title last held by Louise Juliana of Nassau	Electress consort Palatine 14 February 1613 – 23 February 1623	Succeeded by Elisabeth of Lorraine
Vacant Title last held by Anna of Tyrol	Queen consort of Bohemia 4 November 1619 – 9 November 1620	Vacant Title next held by Eleonora Gonzaga

Footnotes

Footnotes (including sources)

Thurstan, Afil, Phlox, Rtol, MainTour